The Quinault Tribal Police Department rescued a pair of kayakers on Sunday afternoon after they capsized.

The call came in just before 5 p.m., said Chief Mark James.

“Basically what happened at about 4.47 on Sunday, we got a call about two kayakers that had capsized on Lake Quinault,” James said. “Our law enforcement and resource enforcement people were able to launch a boat. They found both of them clinging to a log in the northeast part of the lake.”

The two kayakers were brought aboard, James said. They were treated and released within about an hour of the call coming in, James said.

“It wasn’t a spectacular save, but they had some hypothermia going on,” James said. “They were treated for that and released.”

Neither boater was wearing a flotation device, James said, which if worn can help prevent a tragic outcome.

“Unfortunately neither one of them were wearing floatation devices,” James said. “These waters are cold and flotation devices will save lives.”

The rescue comes as the most recent in a series of several rescues near Lake Quinault, James said.

“I think this is our third search and rescue in the past few months. It seems to be growing now that the weather has turned a little bit,” James said. “I’ve not had a lot of rescues have to happen out there, but they seem to be growing for whatever reason. There’s more activity that seems to be happening on the lake.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.